MBA to get Sandy Bridge in June?

[fyrefly]

CNET says so...

And the post's author Brooke Crothers has been a big MBA guy since the beginning.

Would make sense, given that the ULV Sandy Bridge chips should be around by then, and the Sandy Bridge Graphics are at least as good as the 9400m.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20031434-64.html

Wonder if this thread will keep the "should I buy now or wait?" threads at bay at all? My guess is no.

Hopefully this update brings back the Backlit Keyboard.

 

[jfrancis04]

Dang it! I just ordered mine last week.

Now I can't decide if I want to open it or just return for a refund.

 

[rhinosrcool]

CNET says so...

And the post's author Brooke Crothers has been a big MBA guy since the beginning.

Would make sense, given that the ULV Sandy Bridge chips should be around by then, and the Sandy Bridge Graphics are at least as good as the 9400m.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20031434-64.html

Wonder if this thread will keep the "should I buy now or wait?" threads at bay at all? My guess is no.

Hopefully this update brings back the Backlit Keyboard.

I love it! There will be great deals on the Airs that are sold so that many current users can upgrade. I can wait 3-4 months (if it really does happen).

 

[jfrancis04]

What do you guys suggest? I'm seriously at a loss what to do.

I just ordered a 13in, 4GB RAM, 128 Flash HD. I'm so pumped about getting it next week! With this news though, I'm pretty sure I'd definitely want to upgrade in June.

 

[shazzam]

Personally not tempted in the least.

 

[garychen529]

I guess they will definitely use the new Intel CPUs

 

[tom vilsack]

What do you guys suggest? I'm seriously at a loss what to do.

I just ordered a 13in, 4GB RAM, 128 Flash HD. I'm so pumped about getting it next week! With this news though, I'm pretty sure I'd definitely want to upgrade in June.

there's always something better in a few months...if you need it...buy it now.

 

[torbjoern]

That just means that the Air will get lousy graphics because of the Intel/Nvidia licensing issues.
So if the rumor is true, that's a reason to buy the MBA 13" now, and NOT wait.

 

[leowyatt]

I decided to buy my Air in December and regardless of what gets released in the summer I won't regret my decision. I'll have got 7-8 months of use out of it before the newer ones are released and currently it does everything I need.

 

[Hands Sandon]

Will this mean the 11.6 will stream 1080p video, from say Netflix, to an external monitor better, or worse?

 

[aniketroxx]

lol i think 320m is much powerful than sucky intel graphics

 

[MRU]

Will this mean the 11.6 will stream 1080p video, from say Netflix, to an external monitor better, or worse?

Probably worse or at least 'no better'.....


OSX is tailored to offload a lot of tasks to the gpu, and likewise many applications (photoshop etc...) The GPU in the current MBA is better than the integrated graphics in the SandyBridge ULV models.

Therefore any gain the processor switch earns, is also then hit with the burden of lesser graphics performance. Overall it may balance out, but I doubt it will better the current gen.

The only benefit you may have is increased battery life, though I doubt it will be dramatic.

 

[impulse462]

Probably worse or at least 'no better'.....


OSX is tailored to offload a lot of tasks to the gpu, and likewise many applications (photoshop etc...) The GPU in the current MBA is better than the integrated graphics in the SandyBridge ULV models.

Therefore any gain the processor switch earns, is also then hit with the burden of lesser graphics performance. Overall it may balance out, but I doubt it will better the current gen.

The only benefit you may have is increased battery life, though I doubt it will be dramatic.

This exactly. Snow Leopard uses OpenCL to offload tasks to the GPU when doing things such as viewing 720p or 1080p video.

While the IGP for Sandy Bridge will be *decent*, it won't compare to the 320M that is currently in the macbook airs.

 

[fyrefly]

This exactly. Snow Leopard uses OpenCL to offload tasks to the GPU when doing things such as viewing 720p or 1080p video.

While the IGP for Sandy Bridge will be *decent*, it won't compare to the 320M that is currently in the macbook airs.

Sandy Bridge is supposedly OpenCL compatible... so if Apple and Intel can come up with some decent drivers, Sandy Bridge could in theory offload stuff to the GPU properly as well.

 

[fyrefly]

What do you guys suggest? I'm seriously at a loss what to do.

I just ordered a 13in, 4GB RAM, 128 Flash HD. I'm so pumped about getting it next week! With this news though, I'm pretty sure I'd definitely want to upgrade in June.

This is just a rumor... tho it fits with both the intel and Apple road maps.

I'd say if you need the 13" Air now, use it and love it. It's a great computer. If you don't need the 13" Air now, and you CAN wait... then why not wait? Only thing is... June is still 5 months away. Do you have a computer to use in the meantime?

 

[axu539]

It's too early for rumors to actually start getting accurate. For those who are feeling a little bitter about this news because we just bought current MBAs (myself included) understand that the performance increase in the Airs won't be nearly as pronounced due to the GPU downgrade from 320m to ULV SB graphics, which I assume are worse than the graphics in regular voltage SB. Plus, 5 months from now is a long time. If you just got a new Air, enjoy it . If you really need to upgrade when SB MBAs come out, sell your current one and upgrade. MBAs always did well in resale.

 

[Funkymonk]

Apparently sandy bridge graphics are on par with the current nvidia found in the airs now. Alone with that it should give better battery life and run cooler. This is a great upgrade and I'm sure apple would put other things as well. Possibly amd discrete graphics too?

 

[KPOM]

Dang it! I just ordered mine last week.

Now I can't decide if I want to open it or just return for a refund.

I wouldn't bother waiting. My guess is that this would be primarily for cost, supply, and PR more than performance. A low-voltage Sandy Bridge processor would have more CPU performance but slightly less graphics performance. However, the supply of C2D chips is dwindling, and so Apple needs to upgrade to the Core i-series eventually.

Enjoy what you have. You can always get something better or cheaper if you wait. It's technology.

 

[Hellhammer]

Sandy Bridge is supposedly OpenCL compatible... so if Apple and Intel can come up with some decent drivers, Sandy Bridge could in theory offload stuff to the GPU properly as well.

Sandy Bridge IGP does not support OpenCL. However, it does support QuickSync which is much better for video playback than even high-end desktop GPUs. If Apple or some 3rd party software will support that, video playback shouldn't be an issue

 

[KPOM]

Apparently sandy bridge graphics are on par with the current nvidia found in the airs now. Alone with that it should give better battery life and run cooler. This is a great upgrade and I'm sure apple would put other things as well. Possibly amd discrete graphics too?

From AnandTech's analysis, the Sandy Bridge is on par at low detail tasks. The 320m is still better at higher detail. That said, it is a logical move, and a logical time. Get the new versions out in time for the back-to-school rush.

 

[Funkymonk]

I bet it'll have the backlit keyboards everyone was dyiing over too

 

[BlackMax]

Sandy Bridge is supposedly OpenCL compatible... so if Apple and Intel can come up with some decent drivers, Sandy Bridge could in theory offload stuff to the GPU properly as well.

I believe I read on AnandTech that Sandy Bridge will not support OpenCL. Let me see if I can find the article I was reading and post it.

Did you read somewhere else that Sandy Bridge WILL support OpenCL?


Update:

Found it: AnandTech: I don't believe Apple will abandon NVIDIA as a result of Sandy Bridge's vastly improved graphics given SB's lack of OpenCL support.

 

[Hellhammer]

I believe I read on AnandTech that Sandy Bridge will not support OpenCL. Let me see if I can find the article I was reading and post it.

Ultimately, Sandy Bridge’s IGP is far more capable than many would have expected. Sure, it doesn’t even try to support DX11 or OpenCL, but at least for gaming DX11 is typically too much for even midrange GPUs. Intel uses 114 million transistors in Sandy Bridge on the graphics, which is quite small considering transistor counts on other GPUs. The HD 5470 for example—a chip that is frequently surpassed by HD 3000—has an estimated count of 242 million transistors.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4084/intels-sandy-bridge-upheaval-in-the-mobile-landscape/8

 

[axu539]

I believe I read on AnandTech that Sandy Bridge will not support OpenCL. Let me see if I can find the article I was reading and post it.

Did you read somewhere else that Sandy Bridge WILL support OpenCL?

It currently does not support OpenCL but a driver update from Intel COULD change that.

 

[hcho3]

That intel graphics card is going to kill the air's performance...

Well, it will get better battery life... probably. But, no. I am not giving up nvidia graphic's card for intel sandy bridge.